WBC Super featherweight champion Miguel Berchelt and challenger Miguel Roman stand together at the end of the press conference announcing their upcoming title fight in the Don Haskins Center on November 3.(Photo11: RUBEN R. RAMIREZ/EL PASO TIMES, )Buy Photo

A world title is a dream, a dream built on years of hard work, years of blood, sweat and tears in that most unforgiving sport of them all, boxing.

Miguel Berchelt is the WBC world super featherweight champion, a title he has earned by putting together a record of 34-1 with a stunning 30 knockouts. He will defend that dream, that coveted world title, against Miguel "Mickey" Roman on Saturday night, Nov. 3 in the Don Haskins Center.

Roman, the veteran who has worked so hard and improved so much, has earned this dream shot by piecing together a 60-12 record with 47 big knockouts. The Juarez fighter has shown great discipline by steadily improving and rising in the ranks to this mandatory moment.

Tickets will go on sale at 10 a.m. Friday.

There will be a co-feature fight and an undercard announced soon. The fight will be streamed live on ESPN's newest outlet, ESPN Plus. This is a Bob Arum Top Rank promotion, a company that has brought this beautiful old border city some of its best fistic moments.

The co-feature will almost certainly be attractive. The undercard will be entertaining.

Fight pairs two of top Mexican fighters

But, in this main event, you might have everything a fight fan could want. Berchelt is from Cancun, training hard in Sonora. Roman is a life-long border resident, born and raised in Juarez. The pair of warriors, these Mexican gladiators, will both come to fight.

"This is my second time on ESPN and I've been training very hard in Sonora," Berchelt said. "When two Mexicans are in the ring, the show will be guaranteed and this fight will be no exception. The people will leave that night very happy because they saw a great fight and they saw a great champion like Miguel Berchelt."

Roman, who will be going after this ultimate brass ring, this world title dream for the third time, said this fight will be everything.

"I'm fighting and facing a great champion," Roman said. "He's very strong. But I've gotta do what I've gotta do. I've got to do my job. And I use all my strength and hunger to win a world championship."

The 32-year-old Roman has learned to better manage his diet, spent all those lonely hours pounding bags in the gym and on the road, pounding the pavement, one step at a time, in pursuit of this moment. He has soared from somewhere in the middle of the pack to world title status.

He has punched his way through an amazing 15-year career to reach this moment.

And now?

"I've worked very hard to get to this moment," he said. "And now, if I lose, I might just retire."

And so everything is on the line — the dream, the world title, and a career ... all those hours, all those wars in that squared off jungle that is a boxing ring. It is a lifetime of dream chasing.

El Paso 'is the pefect location'

Of course, there are two stories in every prize fight, two sets of dreams, two tales of the hard-knock life that slow dances with being a boxer.

"I have wanted this fight for a very long time," Berchelt said. "Roman has been talking a lot. I can't wait to be in the ring with him. I am happy to fight in El Paso, which is the perfect location for a fight like this. I will show all the fans that I am on my way to becoming one of the great Mexican champions."

Roman said simply, "Berchelt is in for a big surprise. He's never seen a Mexican warrior like me before. The fans are going to be on my side. And I know I will be the new WBC champion."

Carl Morreti, vice president of boxing operations for Top Rank, said, "Stylistically, you can't ask for a better matchup. Every time we come to El Paso, we seem to have a great event."

Top Rank, of course, has brought El Paso so many great fights — Oscar De La Hoya in the Sun Bowl, Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. in the Sun Bowl, the great champion Eric Morales winning his first world title in the County Coliseum, a fine Fernando Vargas fight and so, so many more.

The fighters and their trainers were calm Monday afternoon, the calm before the dream storm. They were perched on a stage in the middle of the Haskins Center floor.

On Saturday night, Nov. 3, there will be no stage and there will be no calm. That boxing ring, that place where dreams go to live and die, will replace the stage and the fans will almost certainly be very loud and very passionate.

And why not?

There is a lifetime of work on the line, there is that dream, that most special of dreams — the one that flutters through the mind of every fighter when he puts his head on the pillow each night — waiting there for someone to claim it.

Bill Knight may be reached at 546-6171; bknight@elpasotimes.com; @BillKnightept on Twitter.

Buy Photo

Alfredo Caballero, trainer for WBC Super featherweight champion Miguel Berchelt, challenger Miguel Roman and Rudy Hernandez, trainer for Roman stand together at the end of the press conference announcing their upcoming title fight in the Don Haskins Center on November 3.
(Photo11: RUBEN R. RAMIREZ/EL PASO TIMES, )